BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - THE St. Kitts-Nevis National Men’s Football team has been grouped with powerhouses Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana in the opening round of the CONCACAF World Cup Qualifiers slated to begin in 2021.
The regional football governing body released the fixture and dates for the opening round of the qualifier, which will see St. Kitts and Nevis play two games on the road and two at home.
The Basseterre-based team is placed in Group F with Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, The Bahamas and Puerto Rico.
Only the top team from the group Qualifies will progress to the June’s Second Round.
“In CONCACAF’s case, FIFA’s decision means the Confederation can schedule three matches in each of the September and October 2021 and January and March 2022 FIFA international match windows.
“This will enable CONCACAF to begin its eight-team Final Round of the CONCACAF Qualifiers in September 2021, following a First Round played in March and June 2021 and a Second Round in June 2021 (June 2021 includes two FIFA international match windows),” CONCACAF’s statement read.
CONCACAF explained that the first round of matches would be played in the FIFA match windows of March 2021 and the first FIFA match window of June 2021.
At the end of the First Round, the six group winners will progress to the Second Round.
• Group A winner vs Group F winner
• Group B winner vs Group E winner
• Group C winner vs Group D winner
The teams will play home and away, in a direct elimination format, during the second FIFA match window of June 2021. The three winners will progress to the Final Round.
For team St. Kitts and Nevis, all the players will be having football time before the Qualifiers as the league is expected to resume early in the new year.
When asked recently at a media conference about international friendly matches, President of the SKNFA, Anthony Johnson indicated that it is something that the body is open to.
Based on the schedule released, team St. Kitts and Nevis would be host to Puerto Rico on March 24 and Guyana on June 4.
